TOUGH TAKA SHOWS ENCOURAGING SPEED ON DAY ONE OF FRENCH GP

Takaaki Nakagami rode through the pain barrier to put in a solid performance on the opening day of free practice for the French Grand Prix. The LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider was initially unsure he would compete due to his ongoing knee injury, but showed encouraging pace once he took to the track at Le Mans to finish in 16^th position overall.

Still feeling pain in his left knee following his testing fall at Jerez, the Japanese star was passed fit to compete in FP1 and impressed in dry conditions as he finished the session in 11^th spot – less than four tenths off the leader’s pace. He was unable to make the laps or progress he wanted in FP2, but remains optimistic about his chances tomorrow.